


Eggs

by notgeorgelucas



Series: Life on Air Temple Island [23]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-24 04:51:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16633283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notgeorgelucas/pseuds/notgeorgelucas
Summary: Air nomads never turn away a hungry guest...even if he's standing naked in the kitchen cooking the morning meal.





	Eggs

Pema sighed as she opened her eyes and glanced out the window. It looked to be another beautiful spring morning, or at least it would be once the sun rose high enough. Tenzin was still sound asleep and snoring contentedly, and thank the spirits there had been no child invasions overnight. She contemplated just a few more minutes in her warm, comfortable bed, but the tantalizing smell of eggs cooking in the kitchen meant that she’d best get up and lend a hand with breakfast.

And then it suddenly occurred to her that Ryoko never came up to the house this early, and moreover she usually brought Kuruk’s breakfast with her when she did. And since her faithful polar bear dog was snoozing at the foot of the bed…

Pema grabbed a robe and hurried toward the kitchen.

****

Pema had seen a great many things during her time on the island, both as an acolyte and as Tenzin’s wife. The naked stranger standing in front of her stove, however…that was definitely a first. “Excuse me,” she called out. “Can I…help you?”

The stranger turned toward her and smiled brightly. “Oh, good morning! Don’t mind me, I was hungry and those eggs just looked so delicious!” He returned his attention to his work, humming a tune under his breath as he stirred and scrambled the eggs.

Pema blinked once or twice, utterly at a loss on what to do. He didn’t seem dangerous at the moment, but then again you never knew. And sooner or later the children would be getting up, and this was the very last thing she wanted them to witness.

_Oh dear,_ she thought to herself. _Those eggs were for our breakfast._ From the look of things the man had used every last one of them. Tenzin would not be happy about this. _Well, Tenzin was Master of the Island, he could bloody well get up and deal with this_ , she decided.

“Pardon me,” she said with a faint smile before racing back to the bedroom.

*****

“Wha? Wha?” Tenzin groaned as Pema shook him to wakefulness. “What’s going on? Are the Equalists back?”

“No!” Pema hissed. “Tenzin, you have to do something! There’s a strange man cooking eggs in our kitchen—and he’s naked!”

“Wha?” Nearby, Kuruk stirred slightly. He raised his head, regarded the situation, and lay back down to sleep with a deep sigh. Pema really didn’t want to sic him on the man unless she had to, but at the rate things were going with her husband…

“Say that again?” Tenzin grumbled sleepily as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. “There’s a naked man in our kitchen?”

“Yes,” Pema nodded. “He’s cooking the eggs I had set out for breakfast. Tenzin, get up and do something!”

“All right, all right.” The Master of the Island rolled out of bed and reached for his robe. “I’ll talk to him— can you sneak into your office, call Lin and tell her what’s going on? Did he seem dangerous?”

“No,” Pema said, shaking her head. “Hungry, more than anything.”

****

It was going about as well as Pema expected. “Sir,” Tenzin insisted with a growing edge in his voice. “You are a trespasser in my house, and naked besides!”

“I know,” the stranger nodded amiably. “I do apologize, but my clothes were soaked from the trip over, and…well, it is such a beautiful day and those eggs were too tempting to pass up!” He stirred the wok happily. “You must have a large family, sir, to need all these!”

Pema sighed and slipped past Tenzin; much to her relief, Lin Beifong had answered on the first ring and promised to get there as soon as she could. “Sir,” she said warmly, “if wouldn’t be a problem, could you possibly put these on?” She held up a pair of Tenzin’s pajama bottoms. “My children will be down here soon, and I’d like to spare everyone some embarrassment.”

“Oh, certainly!” The man smiled and accepted the clothing. “Would you mind stirring those a bit while I dress on? They should be ready soon!”

“Man, Pema—something smells good!” Bumi strolled into the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks. “I…see we have a guest?” he said slowly.

The man took one look and snapped to attention. “Commander Bumi! Sir!”

“Ahh…at ease, soldier.” Pema and Tenzin had often wondered if there was anyone who didn’t know Bumi; thus far, in all their years together the answer had been “no”. “Good to see you again,” Bumi said calmly. “I’m sorry, but you know how it is when you served as long as I did. I take it we served together at some point?”

“Oh, yes sir!” the stranger beamed as he resumed stirring the eggs. “I was in the Second Battalion at Xaofin. That was really something, wasn’t it, sir?”

An odd expression crossed Bumi’s face. “…Yes. Yes, it was,” he said quietly after a long moment. “Well…carry on, soldier.” He shrugged apologetically at Tenzin and Pema but refused to meet their stunned gazes.

A loud commotion from outside broke the silence. “Hey, you big dummy!” Ryoko’s voice filled the air, instantly rousing Kuruk from his slumber. “Get out here and get your breakfast, okay?” The giant polar bear dog trotted through the kitchen, pausing only a moment to give the stranger an obligatory sniff before hurrying outside.

“Some ‘protector’,” Tenzin grumbled under his breath.

“I’m sure that if this man meant us harm, Kuruk would have sensed it and dealt with him,” Pema retorted quietly.

“After he finished his breakfast, of course,” Tenzin hissed. Pema shot him a death glare but said nothing further.

“Hey, boss, did you decide to start…” Ryoko entered the kitchen, pausing in mid-stride upon seeing the stranger at the wok. “You didn’t tell me we were getting a new assistant,” she finished, her eyes never leaving the man as she casually shifted into a classic firebender attack stance. “I don’t think we’ve met,’ she said coolly to the stranger.

“Oh, I’m just visiting,” he said with a smile. “Say, did you know you look just like the Fire Lord’s…”

“I hear that a lot,” Ryoko replied smoothly. She glanced over at Pema and Tenzin questioningly; Pema shook her head slightly and the acolyte relaxed her pose, but her eyes never left the stranger.

“No, I mean it,” the man continued, utterly oblivious to his potential danger. “I mean, it’s been a while since I’ve had any money, but I would swear you look just like her daughter’s picture on the five-hundred yuan bill!” He glanced down at the wok. “Oh, these are almost ready. I hope everyone is hungry!”

“Mommy, why is a half-naked man cooking eggs in our kitchen?” Ikki asked as she popped into the room. Meelo, Jinora and Rohan were right behind her, clearly confused as well.

“He’s helping us with breakfast,” Pema replied calmly. “And I think Ryoko and I should get the rest of it ready, don’t you? Tenzin, why don’t you and the children go into the dining area and set the table while we finish preparing the meal. Bumi, perhaps you could stay here and help?”

“Certainly. And you know, I bet Lin would just love to come over for breakfast…”

“As a matter of fact,” Pema smiled, “I called her just a few minutes ago and she’s on her way.”

“Ah,” Bumi nodded. “That’s good. So tell me, soldier. I never did get your name…’

*****

“…well, I don’t mind telling you I thought we were done for, but all of a sudden Commander Bumi came over the hill with his squad right behind! He saved our necks for sure!” The stranger beamed at Bumi, who for his part looked a bit thoughtful and embarrassed. “You should be so proud of your brother, Master Tenzin!”

“Believe me, I am,” Tenzin nodded. “Though when he told the story, it wasn’t quite so…ah! Lin, how good to see you!”

Beifong nodded pleasantly as she and Mako came into the dining room. “Heard you had a guest for breakfast,” she said evenly. “Smells pretty good, too. I’m almost sorry I’ve already eaten—how about you, Mako?”

“Sorry, Mistress Pema. I ate with Korra and Asami before coming into work,” he replied as he casually moved to a better vantage point. The problem was that someone was already there. “Hello, Ryoko.”

“Hey, hot stuff.” Ryoko smiled slightly but didn’t budge. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“By the way,” Beifong continued, moving directly behind the stranger. “Turns out that on the way over here, we ran into some friends of yours, sir. Mako and I would be more than happy to drop you off with them on the way back.”

“Oh, must we?” the man sighed. “I really don’t like it there. It’s so loud and they never let me outside. I miss the sun and the fresh air…”

“Well, we can talk to them about that,” Beifong replied. She placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “But they really are worried about you, sir.”

“Oh, very well,” he sighed as he rose to his feet. “Thank you all for having breakfast with me,” he said with a bright smile. “It was so enjoyable!”

“Thank you!” Ikki declared. “The eggs were great!”

“Say, Lin.” Bumi rose to his feet. “Would you mind if I tagged along?” He nudged the half-dressed man and grinned. “Us old soldiers gotta stick together, don’t we?”

“I would be honored, sir!”

“And while we’re at it…” Bumi hurried out of the room, returning a moment later with his oversized military coat. “Here we go,” he added as he bundled it around the stranger’s shoulders. “It gets cold out there on the ferry.”

“Thank you, sir!” He turned and waved. “And thank you all! It was a wonderful time!” He smiled brightly one last time and allowed Mako to guide him to the stairwell leading to the ferry, flanked by Lin and Bumi.

“Well, then,” Tenzin declared briskly. “That’s done. Children, it’s meditation time. Come along.” He expertly herded his family out the door and toward the gazebo, placidly ignoring Ikki and Meelo’s complaints every step of the way.

Ryoko and Pema stood in the doorway and stared at the stairwell. “Think we’ll ever know what all that was about, boss?”

Pema shook her head. “I’m sure Lin will tell me what she can, but Bumi…I doubt it.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that the funnier his stories get, the further from the nasty truth you are.” Ryoko shrugged. “I asked my brother about ‘the cannibal princess’ once and from the look on his face, I realized I was better off not knowing.”

“Well, at any rate, we have dishes to wash and lunch to prepare for,” Pema said briskly. “Why don’t you check and see what we might need from the greenhouse while I get things started?”

“You got it, Boss.” Ryoko chuckled as she headed back inside. “Never a dull moment around this place, for sure…”


End file.
